


golden thorns and byzantium vines

by taronfirth



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Arranged Marriage, Fluff and Angst, Harry-centric, M/M, Medieval AU, Misunderstanding, Soulmarks, Soulmates AU, but like unconsciously?, courting, eggsy loves harry so much, he's like that sometimes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 21:51:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13533270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taronfirth/pseuds/taronfirth
Summary: Every time he stood naked in front of the mirror, be it after a thorough washing in the bath or a quick change of clothes, the half-drawn tattoo on his right chest would stare back at him, dim and colourless.Harry dreaded the day when it would be given life and at the same time, ended his.





	golden thorns and byzantium vines

Harry’s fate had been decided for him long before he was born. 

Growing up, he had always entertained the idea of packing his bags and making off with a stolen horse from the stable on a starless night. Sometimes, he penned his parting notes inside his head, addressing who he would miss and the reason for his disappearance. Other times, the idea consumed his thoughts and the pages were left blank, dry of ink and empty of words. 

It wasn’t as if he could simply erase the lines on his skin, etched by divine magic and the thousand years of ingrained tradition. 

Every time he stood naked in front of the mirror, be it after a thorough washing in the bath or a quick change of clothes, the half-drawn tattoo on his right chest would stare back at him, dim and colourless. 

Harry dreaded the day when it would be given life and at the same time, ended his. 

 

 

Fate, it turned out, was a sadistic little arsehole. 

Harry thought when he kneeled on the training ground, one hand clutching the right side of his chest, the other loosening his grip on the wooden sword. 

His duelling instructor and the servants waiting nearby ran to him almost immediately, concern showed on their face, questions at the tip of their tongue.

“I’m alright,” Harry said. 

“I’m alright,” he kept saying to them. 

He also said it to himself before going to sleep. 

He knew he wasn’t, but the words did their job to lull him into a dreamless sleep. 

 

 

The thorns on his tattoo were blessed with a faint golden ink, whereas the vines a deep byzantium. Harry’s hand touched the intricate lines lightly, he imagined he could feel his soulmate’s heartbeat through their weak connection.  

“You make me want things I can’t have,” he said ruefully, aloud. 

The room answered him with a resounding silence. 

 

 

The day came after Harry had taken over the throne. 

He was given a portrait of his betrothed and a name. 

Their wedding was scheduled to be next spring. His castle would welcome the prince two months before the event. 

It was necessary, Harry thought. He was doing the right thing for once, he told himself. 

It didn’t hurt any less. 

 

 

He was wearing his court attire and a mulberry dyed cape draped over his shoulders when he came out to accept the arrival of the prince. 

His soon-to-be husband was slowly approaching the gates, with his horse underneath him and the golden crown on his head. The shine of his sun-like hair reminded Harry of the thorns on his chest, he winced at the thought and swiftly chased it away. 

It wouldn’t be fair for one person if he slept with him in their bed while thinking of another. 

They were only a few steps away from each other when he saw the stern expression on the prince’s face. 

Harry swallowed and put on his practised smile, “Welcome to Elrridan, prince Gary of Norcliff. May I show you around our castle?” 

The prince nodded carefully and accepted the proffered hand, saying, “The honour is all mine.” 

Harry didn’t miss the hint of rosy blush on the prince’s cheeks, but he carelessly dismissed it. The journey must have been hard on the young man, he thought, and sent baskets of fruits and loaves of bread over for him after they had said their goodbyes.    

 

 

The prince was a brilliantly skilled swordsman as well as a well-educated scholar. His habit of slipping expletives into their conversations, however, did nothing but amused and endeared himself to Harry. In fact, the king found it easier to open up and share the stories of his past whenever they were alone in the study together. 

They would exchange stories and legends from their respective countries and forget about their meals until Eggsy’s, Gary had told Harry to call him that the day following their first meeting, stomach was rumbling. 

They sat close during their dinners and suppers, Eggsy leaning close to whisper something into Harry’s ears, making Harry laugh. The more he showed his mirth, the more Eggsy was encouraged to talk. 

Harry knew Eggsy was trying to make the best out of the situation, and he appreciated as well as respected the man for it. He had left his own country and family behind for this marriage, the people of Norcliff should never forget his act of sacrifice. 

Sipping his wine, Harry hoped Eggsy would accept his proposal for their future. It was the only good thing he could do. 

 

 

Their wedding day went by like a flash of light, and soon they retired to their bedroom, leaving the raucous laughter and joyous celebration of the entire country behind the doors.

After closing them, Harry took a moment to breathe and gather his courage. He turned to speak but was taken by surprise, because abruptly Eggsy’s lips were on his like an assault, and they came crashing down on the soft carpeted floor like a wounded horse and its master.

At the onslaught of attention and sentiments, Harry steadied himself by grabbing Eggsy’s hips, panting and trying to get his words out. 

“Eggsy. Eggsy, stop. You don’t have to do this.” 

His wedded husband paused and from his place on top of Harry, opened his eyes and said, “What do you mean?” 

“I’m saying, you don’t have to pretend to like me anymore. I understand. And I’ve given this some thoughts, if you could hear me out.” 

The young man was silent, his hands still resting on Harry’s chest, they were in the middle of unclothing Harry. So Harry continued. 

“There’s a loophole in our parents’ contract, they didn’t make it too easy to crack, either, but I believe I have something that you’d be interested in.” 

He propped himself up with his hands and smiled. “Our marriage could be annulled after five years if we cite the reason for it is the lack of affection and devotion. And it wouldn’t change a thing on the support that Elrridan has to provide for Norcliff.” 

Not looking at Eggsy now, the man hadn’t said a single word since Harry started, it was gradually feeling like a one man monologue at this rate. 

“We can spend that time appear to be together in court, and you can have my resources at your disposal to find your soulmate. I’m sure with enough manpower, we can easily track them down in no time.” 

He ended lamely, “I’m sorry if this came as a surprise to you. But it’s unfair for a young man like yourself to be bound by my side. You deserve your freedom and happiness, Eggsy.” 

Straddling his thighs, Eggsy’s entire body was shaking as if he was shivering from the cold, but there was no open window in the room. 

“Eggsy, are you alright?” 

Had the man been insulted by his proposal? He had tried to choose his words in case of that happening. Apparently he had failed quite spectacularly. 

“You’re an idiot, Harry Hart,” growled Eggsy. He lifted his face under the softly glowing light and Harry was shocked to see the tears making their way down his cheeks. 

Harry felt pain like his own heart had been stabbed and violently ripped out of his chest. 

“I’m,” he said and stopped, not finding the right words to finish. 

“I’m in love with you, you fucking wanker. I- For fuck’s sake,  and here I thought I was being too transparent,” Eggsy laughed but there was no happiness in his voice. 

“Fuck my soulmate and whoever they are,” spat Eggsy. “I’ve waited for them for over twenty years, Harry. I tried to find anyone with the same damned thorns and vines tattoo, but none showed up. Obviously it’s their loss, because I’ve done my waiting and I don’t want to wait five more years just to see the man that I actually fell in love with has the audacity to let me go.” 

He touched Harry’s face, and despite his words, the touch was gentle and full of reverence. “If you don’t want me, we can try following your plan. But there’d only be one man faking being in love. And it won’t be me.” 

But Harry didn’t hear this bitter admittance, he had stopped listening after a certain phrase at the beginning. 

“Thorns and vines? On your chest?” he gasped, finding his voice at last. 

“Yeah, the thorns are this shiny yellow colour and the vines are purple.” Eggsy jerked to a full stop. “I didn’t say it was on my chest.” 

Without giving him a worded reply, Harry’s hand shakily came up to undo his own robes, a clear off-white for wedding ceremony, and pulled the fabric covering his chest to reveal his glowing tattoo. 

Eggsy stared at the man’s exposed skin and unconsciously, reached out to trace the inked lines, mouth agape.

Eventually, he did the same to his clothes and revealed the other half of the tattoo on the left side of his chest, where his heart was. 

“It’s the infinity symbol. If you match our- together,” Harry realised. 

“Normal people would just get something like a rose or a word. And we have,” Eggsy laughed, shaking his head. 

Harry could already fill in the rest, his hands started drawing circles on Eggsy’s hips. 

Eggsy’s hands quietly cupped Harry’s nape and face, giving Harry the choice of pulling back, and when no rejection came, leaned down to touch their foreheads together as he let himself relax on Harry’s body. From this close, their half-drawn tattoos almost made a complete picture. 

Pulling Eggsy impossibly closer, Harry whispered, “My whole life I’ve waited for you.” And his lips caressed Eggsy’s trembling mouth like a promise. 

Eggsy pressed back into the kiss without any hesitating, desperate for more contact of their skin, wishing he could absorb the heat from his husband’s touch and feel the entirety of Harry’s existence.  

“And now you have me. For however long you’d like,” he murmured.  

“For an eternity then, my dear.”

“That’d have to suffice,” Eggsy grinned and tightened his hold on Harry. He never let go after that.

**Author's Note:**

> You know our boy Harry's gay when purple and yellow are byzantium and gold to him. 
> 
> Got a dialogue prompt on tumblr for: You make me want things I can’t have. I cheated a bit in the sense that Harry said it to himself but eh. 
> 
> I love medieval au and soulmates (with marks) au so I just made a huge salad with both of them, hope you like it.
> 
> I'm darcyfirth on tumblr :D


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